Assighos to the is



J. L. BUTLER.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKIMG TIRE CASINGS'.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZI, 1919.

1,428,752. PatentedSept. 12,1922,

25 ploy consists, generally speakino',

Patented Sept. 12, 1922;

UNITED s 'rhrss JAMES L. antenna, or reason, enro assist a a NE'W roan,nun, oonnoar METHOD llLEltlhltl-llldllll llllllt lllln To an whom it mayconcern."

Be it known that I, Jar/Ins L. lumen, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in thecounty of Summit and State of Ohio haveinvented a new and useful Method and Apparatusflor Making Tire Casings,of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to the manufacture of laminated fabricland rubberstructures, and more particularly to the method of making pneumatic tirecasings by winding an initially-flat strip of rubberized fabric circumferentially about a tire-shaped ring-core or mandrel and stretchingthe middle of the strip as it goesupon the core in order to make saidstrip conform approximately to the shape of the tire. l l y y a My object, broadly speaking, is to increase the cohesive or adhesive propertyof the rub ber surface on the fabric in order to make it stick morefirmly to the surface of the core or to thesurface ofan adjoining fabricor rubber layer, and the means which ll emin the progressiveapplication. of heat to the movmg strlp of fabric,

MOI'QSPBClfiCitllY, I aim to applya heating;

medium, such as steam, to a roller or equivalent instrumentalityoperating against the fabric, in such manner as to secure a moder ateand controllable heating action which will soften the rubber to thedesired degree. ()f the accompanying drawings l, is a side elevation ofa tire-making machine, adapted to perform the steps constituting myimproved method, and embodying the mechanical features of my invention.2 is a longitudinal sectionot the liabric-l1eating roller and itsconnections.

The particular machine here illustrated embodies certain preferredfeatures of corn struction in the way of fabric stretching and shapinginstrumentalities, but it will be understood that the invention appliesto other tire-making machines of its general type, and also that theparticular form and loca tion of the devices here shown for applying theheat to the fabric may be varied without departing from the scope of theinvention.

10 is the frame of the machine and 11 is a tire-forming core of theusual construction mounted on a chuck 12 which is rotated by apower-driven shaft. 13 is thestrip or rubberized tire-forming fabricwhich may the core 11 l i1 thl i,

Applicatioafiled a er, isaa manta.

for ezrzunplo he theordinary bias-cut woven hibric, l'rictioned andcoated in a calender. 'lhe calondcred sheet of rabrio is cut intodiagonal str 7 a in the usual way an l number oil? ros placed end-tdcndan oiled up in strip o it liner ab: ".c to keep the raw rubber surincosape r preferred method in this instance being splice together enoughoil? the short strips of rbric to lay all oil the carcass plies in acontinuous operation although it is sou'ietimos the practice to lay onlyone ply at a time and spin down the I. St

sides beilore the mat ply is lairh my inven-- tion. applying; equallywell to either method.

The fabric anrfl liner unwind from a reel l l, around small roller 15and over a stretcher drum ldwhose shaft is geared to that oil the corell in such a ratio that the peripheral speed ol the drum a certainpercentage less than that ol the core,-say l.5%--so t at the tabricstretches by this amount in its middle portion (and progressi vely lesstoward. its edges) it passes onto the core and thereby becomes shapedmore or less to the counter of the core The liner 1'? is re-wound on areel 19 is a tabricshaping guide or shield p lly embracing the crown oiis core over Ihich the liabric drawn it passes onto the core 30, areside smoothing disks or rollers which operate to roll. the margins oithe labric smoothly against the undercut sides oil the core while thestrip is being; stretched on at anteriorpoint. tlthcr rollers (notshown) may be used to roll tl fabric around the heads. Between "chcrdrum l6 and erposc heati roller-20 whose axis is parallel to that o:drum and whose length is siipotly W ater thaiti the width 0: Yella oltire-imtlrinp; :labric. Said roller, inthisinstance,engages the outer orupper surface of the i abria The roller 590 is mounted to turn looselyon hollow shaft tired in one oil the webs of the frame 10, said shaltbeing closed at its outer end by a cap-nut which acts a retainer for theroller, and opening at its inner end. into a hollow fitting 23 lfromwhich. leads a ciseharp e pipe 24:. it supply pipe 25 led by a pipe 27is mounted in the rear wall 01" the litt 23 and extends across thecham-- ber of said fitting and into the hollow shaft 21 to a point nearthe outer end of the latter, the steam or other heating fluid beingdischarged by pipe 25 into the hollow shaft and passing along the latterto the fitting 23 and out through the pipe 24. Openings 26 are formed inthe walls of the roller 26 to prolatter and also through the interveningbody of air contained within the roller. The cir- 'culation of airthrough the openings 26 serves a useful purpose in keepingthetemperature of the'roller surface from rising too high, but itwill beunderstood that the invention could be operated without these openings.

The steam could of course be supplied directly to the interior of asteam-tight hollow roller, but the construction shown is preferred forthe reason that it gives a somewhat lower temperature to the surface ofthe roller because of the presence of the openings 26 and therelativelydarge surface of the roller in comparison with the surface ofthe hollow shaft2l, that it avoids the use of packed running joints,that it permits-the use of alightly-constructed roller and that itprovides an easy means of disposing of water, of condensation. The heatof the roller 20 serves to soften the rubber on both sides of thefabric, thereby increasing the tackiness oradhesive quality of therubber,

causing therplies'to stick togetherbetter,

enabling the *fabric to be more readily shaped to the conformation ofthe core and somewhat relieving the internal strains set in the rawcarcass by the stretching of the cold rubber with which the fabric iscovered, in the course of forming the plies into tire shape. Iclaimr 1y 1. The method of tire buildingwhich comprises the steps ofprogressively heating a flat strip of rubberized fabric to softentherubber thereon, and while so heated progressively stretching themiddle of said fabric longitudinally to cause it to assume approximatelythe shape of the tire, winding it longitudinally upon a tire'shapedmandrel and smoothing the sides of the shaped strip.

2. Ina machine for building pneumatic tire casings, the combination of arotary tire-forming core, a drum for feeding fabric to said core adaptedto be rotated at a. slower peripheral speed than that of the core sothat the middle of the fabric is stretched in passing onto the core, aroller over which the fabric passes in flat condition between said drumand core, and means for supplying a hot fluid to the interior of saidroller.

3. In a machine for buildin fabric and rubber structures, t ecombination of a form for supporting the article to be built,'means forsupplying a strip of rubberized fabric to said form, and aheatingdevicelocated between said fabric-suplying means and form andcomprising a hxed hollow shaft,means for sup lying a hot fiuid to theinterior of saidshaft and a roller mounted to turn loose! on said shaft,in heat-conductive relation t ereto.

4. In a machine for building pneumatic tire casings, the combination ofa tire-formina core, a fabric-stretching drum, and a fabric heaterlocated between said drum and core and comprising a fabric engagingroller whose interior is open for the circulation of air, a fixed hollowshaft on which said roller turns, and a pipe within said shaft forsupplying a heating fluid to the interior thereof.

tire casings, the combination of a tire-forminecore, a fabric-stretchingdrum, and a fa ric heater located between said drum and core andcomprising a hollow shaft fixedly supported'at one end, and closed atits opposite end, a dischar 'e pipe connected with the fixed end of saishaft, a supply pipe supported adjacent to said fixed end and passinglongitudinally into said hollow shaft to an outlet therein near theclosed end of the shaft, and a fabric-enga in roller mounted to turn onsaid hollow s a In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23da of Ma 1919.

' J AMES .BUTLER.

laminated 5. In a machine for building pnuematic

